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Bishop's Bible

Exodus 23:3

Neither shalt thou esteeme a poore man in his cause.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Court;   Injustice;   Justice;   Poor;   Rulers;   The Topic Concordance - Judgment;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Courts of Justice;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ethics;   Judge;   Justice;   Poor;   Punishment;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amos, Theology of;   Justice;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Poor;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Exodus, Book of;   Judge (Office);   Poor, Orphan, Widow;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Covenant, Book of the;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Ten Commandments;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Justice;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Other Laws;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Blindness, Judicial;   Countenance;   Covenant, the Book of the;   Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Face;   Judge;   Justice;   Poor;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Commandments, the 613;   Ethics;   Repentance;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause.
King James Version
Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
Lexham English Bible
You will not be partial to a powerless person in his legal dispute.
New Century Version
If a poor person is in court, you must not take his side just because he is poor.
New English Translation
and you must not show partiality to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Amplified Bible
nor shall you favor or be partial to a poor man in his dispute [simply because he is poor].
New American Standard Bible
nor shall you show favor to a poor person in his dispute.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou shalt not esteeme a poore man in his cause.
Legacy Standard Bible
nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his case.
Contemporary English Version
And don't favor the poor, simply because they are poor.
Complete Jewish Bible
On the other hand, don't favor a person's lawsuit simply because he is poor.
Darby Translation
Neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause.
Easy-to-Read Version
"In court, don't treat a person in a special way simply because that person is poor.
English Standard Version
nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.
George Lamsa Translation
Neither shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Good News Translation
Do not show partiality to a poor person at his trial.
Christian Standard Bible®
Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit.
Literal Translation
And you shall not favor the lowly in his lawsuit.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt not paynte a poore mas cause.
American Standard Version
neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his cause.
Bible in Basic English
But, on the other hand, do not be turned from what is right in order to give support to a poor man's cause.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause.
King James Version (1611)
Neither shalt thou countenance a poore man in his cause.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And thou shalt not spare a poor man in judgment.
English Revised Version
neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause.
Berean Standard Bible
And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Also thou schalt not haue mercy of a pore man in a `cause, ethir doom.
Young's Literal Translation
and a poor man thou dost not honour in his strife.
Update Bible Version
neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause.
Webster's Bible Translation
Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
World English Bible
neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause.
New King James Version
You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.
New Living Translation
And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.
New Life Bible
And do not show favor to a poor man when he has a problem.
New Revised Standard
nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Even a poor man, shalt thou not prefer in his quarrel.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Neither shalt thou favour a poor man in judgment.
Revised Standard Version
nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his suit.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute.

Contextual Overview

1 Thou shalt not haue to do with any false report, neither shalt thou put thine hand with the wicked, to be an vnrighteous witnesse. 2 Thou shalt not folow a multitude to do euill, neither shalt thou speake in a matter of iustice according to the greater number, for to peruert iudgement. 3 Neither shalt thou esteeme a poore man in his cause. 4 If thou meete thyne enemies oxe or asse goyng astray, thou shalt bryng them to him agayne. 5 If thou see the asse of him that hateth thee sincke vnder his burthen, thou shalt not passe by and let him alone, but shalt helpe hym to lyft hym vp agayne. 6 Thou shalt not hinder the right of thy poore in his suite. 7 Kepe thee farre from a false matter, and the innocent and righteous see thou slay not: for I wyll not iustifie the wicked. 8 Thou shalt take no gyftes: for gyftes blinde the seyng, and peruert the wordes of the righteous. 9 Thou shalt not oppresse a straunger: for ye know the heart of a straunger, seyng ye were straungers in the lande of Egypt.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 82:2, Psalms 82:3, James 3:17

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:6 - General Leviticus 19:15 - General Deuteronomy 1:16 - Hear Deuteronomy 1:17 - ye shall hear Job 13:8 - General Isaiah 56:11 - all look 1 Corinthians 15:15 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 10:15
Chanaan begat Sidon his first borne sonne, and Heth,
Genesis 23:5
And the chyldren of Heth aunswered Abraham, saying vnto hym:
Genesis 23:7
Abraham stoode vp and bowed hym selfe before the people of the lande, that is, the chyldren of Heth.
Genesis 25:10
Whiche fielde Abraham bought of the sonnes of Heth: there was Abraham buryed, and Sara his wyfe.
Genesis 27:46
And Rebecca spake to Isahac: I am weery of my lyfe for the daughters of Heth. Yf Iacob take a wyfe of the daughters of Heth, such as these [which are] of the daughters of the lande, what good shall my lyfe do me?
Genesis 49:30
In the caue that is in the fielde of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the lande of Chanaan, which Abraham bought with the fielde of Ephron the Hethite for a possession to bury in.
1 Samuel 26:6
Then aunswered Dauid, and spake to Ahimelech the Hethite, and to Abisai the sonne of Zaruia, & brother to Ioab, saying: Who wyll go downe with me to Saul to the hoast? And Abisai saide: I wyll go downe with thee.
2 Samuel 23:39
Aria the Hethite: thirtie and seuen in all.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. Because he is a poor man, and for that reason endeavour to carry his cause for him, right or wrong, from a foolish pity to him as a poor man, and from an affectation of gaining the applause of people on that account; or "thou shalt not honour" or "adorn" a poor man u, by a set speech in favour of his cause, though wrong, dressed up in the best manner, and set off with all the colourings of art, to make it appear in the most plausible manner; the law is against respect of persons, as not the person of the rich, so neither is the person of the poor to be accepted, but the justice of their cause is to be regarded; so the Targum of Jonathan,

"the poor that is guilty in his judgment or cause, his face (or person) thou shalt not accept to have pity on him, for no person is to be accepted in judgment.''

u לא תהדר "non honorabis", Pagninus, Vatablus, Drusius, Cartwright; "non decorabis", Montanus; "ne ornes", Tigurine version; "ne honorato", Junius Tremellius "ne ornato", Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

These four commands, addressed to the conscience, are illustrations of the ninth commandment, mainly in reference to the giving of evidence in legal causes. Compare 1 Kings 21:10; Acts 6:11.

Exodus 23:2

This verse might be more strictly rendered, “Thou shalt not follow the many to evil; neither shalt thou bear witness in a cause so as to incline after the many to pervert justice.”

Exodus 23:3

Countenance - Rather, show partiality to a man’s cause because he is poor (compare Leviticus 19:15).

These four commands, addressed to the conscience, are illustrations of the ninth commandment, mainly in reference to the giving of evidence in legal causes. Compare 1 Kings 21:10; Acts 6:11.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 23:3. Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. — The word דל dal, which we translate poor man, is probably put here in opposition to רבים rabbim, the great, or noble men, in the preceding verse: if so, the meaning is, Thou shalt neither be influenced by the great to make an unrighteous decision, nor by the poverty or distress of the poor to give thy voice against the dictates of justice and truth. Hence the ancient maxim, FIAT JUSTITIA, RUAT COELUM. "Let justice be done, though the heavens should be dissolved."


 
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